Christmas
by NCISgirl1527
Summary: It's Christmas time in the city and more importantly in the precinct. There is a Christmas dance but you have to bring a partner. Will it take the memory of pain and loss to reveal the true meaning of Christmas?


**_Merry Christmas to all. This is my Christmas fic for this years, and be thankful because I original had three planed and this was the only one that actually got written. Ah well here it goes. Smacked, DAng, Dantana. Hint (singular) of Mac/Claire and DnA.  
Spoilers: Pay up, Heroes, The season opener._**

**_Disclaimer: You know the answer to that question_**

"Don," Lindsey yelled running up the hall to catch up with him.

"Hey Lindsey," Don said turning around and trying to avoid groaning. He had been trying to avoid her all day because he knew she wanted to ask him one of two questions.

"Can you baby-sit Lucy while Danny and I are at the Christmas Dance?" She asked.

"No," Don said a little too quickly. It wasn't that he didn't like Lucy, because he did, he just didn't like baby-sitting with no company. It was lonely.

Lindsey's face fell. "Why not?" she asked sounding a little hurt.

Immediately Don felt bad for replying as sharply as he had. "I am going to the dance," Don told her even though he had never intended to.

"You know you have to bring a partner to the dance?" Lindsey double-checked.

Don sighed but nodded. He was not nearly ready to go out with someone else romantically but he had friends who he would not mind to go with.

"You also know that Stella also already has a date?" Lindsey asked knowing perfectly well what Don was thinking.

"Um…No I didn't here about that," Don said swallowing, "Who?

"Mac," Lindsey told him happily, "He asked her to come with him the other day."

"About time those two saw what was right in front of their face," Don muttered under his breath.

"So true," Lindsey said nodding. "Well I will see you and your friend at the dance tomorrow night."

"Right I will see you later," Don said distractedly. Stella had been his plan to ask if she would like to come with him as a friend but clearly she had gotten a better offer and truth be told Don was glad that Mac had finally gotten the nerve to ask her. They both deserved someone special. Lindsey was obviously out because she was going with Danny. Jess and Aiden were also out because they were gone to a place he would never see them again.

Suddenly Don had an idea. Aiden might not be able to come but he knew someone that might be able to come. Quickly he pulled out his phone and scanned the contact list. Selecting the one he wanted he hit the call button and put the phone to his ear. He heard it ring and someone pick it up.

"Hello?" a female voice answered the phone.

"Hey Kath, it's Don. I need a favor."

CHRISTMAS EVE—THE DANCE

The police Christmas Eve ball was a tradition and it was a fairly formal event. Danny and Lindsey were the first of the couples to arrive. Danny was wearing a tuxedo that Lindsey had gotten for him last year to wear to formal event such as this one. Lindsey herself was wearing a light blue dress that fell mid-way down her calves. There was a belt that gave it some form but it was mostly light flowing fabric. Actually it looked remarkably like the dress Maria wore to the party in "The Sound of Music."

Danny led Lindsey down the steps on to the dance floor where several other couples were dancing and they to began to sway back and forth with the music. Suddenly they heard a voice behind them, "Hey Danny, Lindsey."

Turning around Danny and Lindsey saw Haylen Becall leading Adam Ross toward them. "Hey Adam," Lindsey said smiling at him, "Hey Haylen, I see you convinced him." Lindsey smiled at the labs newest lab tech.

"It wasn't very hard," Haylen replied looking at Adam, who blushed as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Well see you guys later," Adam said as he and Haylen headed towards the dance floor.

It was nearly ten minutes before someone else they knew showed up. The next couple to arrive was Mac and Stella. Lindsey gasped and poked Danny in the ribs when she saw Mac and Stella at the top of the stairs. "Look at them," she whispered, "they look so happy."

Danny looked up the stairs at his bosses and he had to agree with his wife. Stella smile was almost blinding and Mac, who was holding her hand, was smiling more than Danny had ever seen him. Mac, like Danny, was wearing a tuxedo, but Mac's was adorned with a tie. Stella was wearing a tight fitting black dress that clung in all the right places and fell nearly to the floor. It had a strap over one shoulder but not the other.

Together the pair made their way down to the stairs and over to their friends. "Close you mouth Lindsey," Stella told her smirking, "It's not polite to stare."

Lindsey turned slightly pink and closed her mouth, "sorry."

"It's okay," Stella told her, "I was only teasing you, because Danny and Adam would be even more embarrassed if they knew I noticed them."

Adam and Danny both turned deep shades of red but were saved from saying anything because at that moment Lindsey squealed, "Look there's Don."

"Lindsey how much of the alcoholic punch have you had?" Stella asked her friend suspiciously.

"None," Lindsey said giggling.

Mac and Stella looked at each other then both looked at Danny. "She's had a couple glasses," he confirmed, and Stella smiled.

"Is Don really coming?" Stella asked looking up the stairs to the door.

"Lindsey said he was and I don't think he would lie to her," Danny told the group.

"He knows he has to bring a date, right?" Stella asked Danny.

"Now why does everyone assume that I don't know that?" a familiar voice asked coming up behind Stella.

"Because we figure you wouldn't come if you did," Stella told Don without turning around. "And we also knew both of your 'fallback dates' had already been asked."

Don shook his head because of course she was right, "Congratulations on finally getting Mac to ask you out by the way."

"What do you mean finally?" Mac and Stella asked at the same time.

"Well…" Don started looking to Danny for help. That was not a question that anyone was willing to answer for their bosses.

"Because it has been screamingly obvious to everyone who has ever worked with you two that you belong together," Lindsey said giggling again, "Suspects have even asked how long you've been together." Correction: It was a not a question that anyone sober was willing to answer.

Stella and Mac looked from Lindsey to each other for several seconds before Danny broke the silence that had fallen on their little group. "So Don," Danny asked his friend, "How did you get in with out a date?"

"Who said I did?" Don asked.

"Well I don't see her," Danny pointed out.

"That doesn't mean I'm not here," A female voice said from behind Danny.

Spinning around Danny came face to face with a younger brunette woman. At first glance she looked so much like Aiden that it was disconcerting, but on second glance you could tell that there were differences in the two. Danny pulled the woman into a hug. "I missed you Katharine," Danny told her, "Why didn't you tell me that you were back in town?"

"Because I wasn't until this afternoon," Katharine explained, "Don drove down to DC to bring me up for Christmas."

"Do either of you two want to introduce the rest of us to your friend?" Stella asked Don and Danny.

"Right," Don said, "Katharine this is Mac, Stella, Lindsey, Haylen, and Adam." Don pointed to each person in turn then turned to the team, "This is Katharine Burn."

"As in Aiden's little sister?" Stella asked.

"Yes," Katharine replied before either of the men could open their mouths. "It's Stella right?" Stella nodded. "Nice to meet you." Katharine extended her hand Stella shook it.

During the introductions Lindsey had led Danny out on to the dance floor for a faster song. Haylen and Adam followed closely behind them. Stella looked at Mac trying to communicate something through nonverbal communication. Mac nodded and turned to Katharine.

"Would you like to dance?" Mac asked her politely. Katharine, who had picked up on Stella's message to Mac, accepted and they to went out onto the dance floor.

Once they were alone Stella turned to Don, "Why did you come?" Stella asked him, "and please don't lie to me."

"I didn't really want to come in the first place but I really didn't want to be left alone with memories so I decided to come," Don explained. "I ask Katharine to come because I wanted someone who I could take as a friend. I'm not ready to forget Jess and Katharine isn't really single."

"First of all can you please define 'not really single' for me?" Stella asked him.

"Her boyfriend worked in a lab down in DC but he joined a serial killer and now he is in the insane asylum," Don explained, "she is still completely and totally loyal to him but she doesn't mind going out once and a while as a favor to a friend."

Stella nodded, "she seems like a nice girl."

Don smiled, "she is a lot like Aiden was: stubborn as hell and twice as loyal."

Stella laughed but after a moment she sombered up and looked at Don. "I want you listen to me Don. You said that you weren't ready to forget Jess. You never should try to forget Jess, never. You want to move on not to forget. Mac has never forgotten Claire but he has finally accepted her death and moved on. Danny is happily married but he had never forgotten Aiden, and he never will."

"I just don't know how they did it," Don said sighing, "every time I close my eyes I see her. How do I move on?"

"When Claire died Mac was a mess I stuck by him and let him know that it would be okay. Lindsey did the same for Danny. You have great friends you just need to let them in," Stella told him resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Okay," Don said as the song ended, "thank you for being there Stella."

"Hey I always will be," Stella said shrugging, "now you should go dance with Katharine."

"Yea," Don said smirking, "you just want to dance with Mac."

"You bet," Stella said smiling.

Together the two walked out on the dance floor to reclaim their respective partners. Mac took Stella in his arms and the two of them moved together across the dance floor together. Don and Katharine also started to dance. They didn't have the same flow that Mac and Stella did but they also didn't really want to.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

The final song ended as the clock on the wall struck midnight. Looking around the room Don realized that only he and the team were left to welcome in Christmas day. Christmas was a time for counting your blessing and being glad for all you have. Looking around he knew that Stella had been right. He had a great set of friends and they would always be there for him when he needed them even if he didn't want the to be.

Mac Taylor

Stella Bonasera

Danny Messer

Lindsey Monroe

Adam Ross

Haylen Becall

Katharine Burn

Don Flack

They were friends. They were a team. They were a family in there own way. They were each others best Christmas present ever.

_**Sappy ending I know…. Don't you love it? :) Happyness ensues if you review. Merry Christmas.**_


End file.
